22 October – 23 December 2021
Chris Levine, 528 Hz Love Frequency. Marking the inaugural winter show in the historic grounds of this prestigious art venue, this exhibition running between 22 October and 23 December 2021 is proudly sponsored by Sotheby’s and will feature a series of new holographic artworks, print works and large immersive laser and LED installations. This is a body of new work created specifically for the unique environs of the house and grounds. Each distinctive work is characteristic of Levine’s unique and cutting-edge work with the meditative and immersive properties of light and sound.
Levine works in pursuit of an expanded state of perception and awareness through image and form, frequency and vibration. Levine describes his practice as using light and geometry to create a space where consciousness and the physical realm overlap. He is best known for his large-scale, immersive sculptural light installations that invite the viewer to be present, in the moment. He harnesses the power of light not just as a core material of art but also something with which to create powerful collective experiences. This exhibition, his largest to date, punctuated an acclaimed career for Chris who in 2004 was commissioned to create a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The iconic portrait will be exhibited alongside works of other famous sitters including Kate Moss and Grace Jones.
The centrepiece of the Houghton Hall show 528 Hz Love Frequency was a monumental spherical structure Molecule of Light on the front lawn that emits a sound beam. This vast new sculptural work with 3D ambisonic sound came to life as darkness falls over an imposing landscape. The audience, one at a time, cpuld immerse in modulating sound frequencies on the solfeggio scale which numerically relate to sacred geometry and correlate to the energy nodes in the body known as chakras. It was the artist’s intention that people would be drawn into a brief meditative state that is both uplifting and purifying by bathing in this sound beam.
BLUE SUN SOUNDSCAPE (WAV Version)
BLUE SUN SOUNDSCAPE (MP3 Version)
Lord Cholmondeley of Houghton Hall said:
“This is our first Autumn/Winter show at Houghton, and it is exciting to be showing Chris Levine’s mesmeric laser art in the grounds, as well as a selection of his iconic light portraits. We look forward to seeing how his work will interact with the historic landscape and the architecture of the house.”
Since 2013, Houghton Hall has become a must-see destination for contemporary art and sculpture. The Grade I-listed house was commissioned by the de facto first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in 1722. Following in the footsteps of acclaimed artists such as Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor and Henry Moore, Levine will be the seventh artist to hold a major show at the grand historic setting – one that promises to offer a fresh and expansive context to his ground-breaking art.
